Key Points
- The Australian stock market saw gains, with the S&P/ASX 200 Rising 0.015% to hit a new all-time high, led by the Utilities and Energy sectors.
- Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB), Appen Ltd (ASX: APX), and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) posted strong gains.
- EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML), St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM), and Resmed Inc DRC (ASX: RMD) saw declines.
- Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 555 to 523, with 415 remaining unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX was down 2.35%.
Australia’s stock market closed higher on Wednesday, driven by gains in the Utilities, Energy, and Financials sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 increased by 0.015% or 1.20 to 8,142.10, reaching a new all-time high.
The session’s best performer was Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB), which rose 4.80% or 0.13 points to close at 2.84, marking a three-year high for the company. Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) followed closely, with shares up 4.04% or 0.065 points, closing at 1.68, a 52-week high. Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) also posted gains, rising 3.85% or 0.025 points to finish at 0.68.
On the other hand, EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML) was the worst performer, dropping 4.08% or 0.03 points to close at 0.70. St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) also fell, declining 3.51% or 0.01 points to 0.28. Resmed Inc DRC (ASX: RMD) saw a decrease of 3.12% or 1.16 points, closing at 36.19.
Despite the S&P/ASX 200 hitting a new record, the overall market showed mixed results. Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 555 to 523, with 415 remaining unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was down 2.35% to 11.81.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for December delivery increased 0.08% or 2.10 to $2,594.50 per troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude Oil for November delivery fell by 0.74% or 0.52 to $69.44 a barrel, and Brent Oil for November delivery dropped 0.77% or 0.57 to $73.13 a barrel.
The currency market remained unchanged at 0.68 AUD/USD, while AUD/JPY fell 0.41% to 95.80 AUD. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 100.54.
